High sun broadcast from To’ Boam - story ten

In the final episode of this series, Zhael shares how The Drifting Expanse came into being and her role in it.

Here we are again, on board our uncrewed airborne people carrier (UAPC) affectionately known as Drewp for the final leg on this road trip. Get settled in your preferred seat on Drewp, relax and let the real world fade away. Meet me in The Comments Lounge at the end of the story so we can chat about this final leg of the trip.

In the last episode: Hazel / Zhael (The Benevolent Spirit) addressed the assembled Company and set the scene for this final episode in which she shares how The Drifting Expanse came into being and her role in it.

In this episode, you can either read the news article in the images below, or the text version.

Zhael shares the origins of The Drifting Expanse

Chief World Correspondent: Malin D’Imu
High sun broadcast from To’ Boam
Transcript of the speech given by The Benevolent Spirit known as Hazel / Zhael

“Welcome, all beings of The Drifting Expanse. 

This day, I will share with you some of how our planet came into being, and my role in it. Our origins have always been shrouded in mystery. Today, that mystery ends with this account. Today, you will understand where you came from and why we are so special in the broader Cosmos.

As a child, I lived on Earth. I presented in human form, but was not entirely human. I discovered that I had magic skills by accident. I was a lonely child with absent parents and no siblings. I yearned for playmates and connection to someone beyond myself.

A young Earth male, a schoolmate of mine, conceived of a world for our school geography project. He gathered supplies from his home - a hat box lid from his mother’s cupboard, two soft, old footballs and a short length of wood. Using this motley collection of mundane items, he created a model complete with landforms, islands and open spaces for oceans and seas. On the day that he took the project into school, he filled his world’s open spaces with water. Our teacher and classmates were impressed with his fantasy creation. When asked what he’d called it, he shrugged and said “The Expanse”. On his way home, now bored with it, he threw the whole thing into a skip. But I was watching and I snatched it out of the skip and took it home. 

I dreamed of magicking the model into a miniature world filled with tiny, unusual creatures that I could play with. Over time, I made figurine models (some had human-like aspects to them, whilst others were borne of my overactive imagination) to “live” on The Expanse. I also searched everywhere for spells to make inanimate human objects real. 

---

One warm sunny day, desperate to see if I could make my dream come true, I took the model to the nearby woods, along with my favourite sweet treat, honey. I tried the spells I’d written out and waved my handmade hazel wand over the model to add authenticity to the proceedings. Nothing happened. I added other words that I’d used in the past and exaggerated my wand movements. Suddenly I was lying on my back on the woodland floor. The model grew bigger with every second, much bigger than I wanted. It lifted off the ground and eventually drifted gently out into the clear blue sky. 

“No!” I wanted to follow it! I closed my eyes and wished with all my might that I could do that. What happened next is unclear. All I know is that when I came to, I was right here in this special place that I eventually called To ’Boam. A vague nagging memory told me that the model, now a planet, had anchored itself in a galaxy near planet Earth. The creatures and beings I’d created came to life. We all soon discovered what it was like to live on a flat surface propped up by 4 squashy domes and a central pillar. Over time we called it The Drifting Expanse.

Myself, together with the boy from Earth are the creators of this planet. You all sprung, in one way or another from my imagination, and from magic that went differently to how I envisaged. 

In the early days of our existence, I shared some of what I’d done with others, but not much. In time, as the beings settled into making a life for themselves on the planet, I became a hermit. And eventually I was almost forgotten. 

But not entirely forgotten because this Company found me and brought me back to life, so to speak. In doing that, they have also unlocked the true history of The Drifting Expanse for you all to hear. 

---

The Trekkers here today are descendants of the first group of figurines I created. Unable to communicate clearly, they have always remembered me, their memories stronger as a collective, than individually. They embody my dearest desires as a young person: hope, peace and connection to community and like-minded souls. They located Kriliah hiding away in Tenich Outpost, knowing Kriliah was key to finding and unlocking me. To honour The Trekkers, I declare them a protected species. No harm must ever befall them individually or as a group. 

Now, to honour their quest and dedication, I anoint Kriliah, Jalisse and Crox with the last of this Earth-related substance, known as honey, which I have kept by my side since I arrived here. In doing this, I declare them as my ambassadors in spreading joy, truth, knowledge, abundance and healing. You will find out more about their ambassadorship in due course. 

My final announcement is that a Sanctuary will be built here on To’ Boam. I invite scholars to come and to learn more about the Earth, the early days of The Drifting Expanse and my role in it all.. 

My beloved Drifting Expanse beings. That is all I can manage for today. I wish you all peace and joy as you take on board and process this new knowledge.”

---

Our time on Dwerp has come to an end

That’s it, the final episode in this series Our time on Dwerp has come to an end - for now. What next? I’ll be sharing an update during December!

Tell me what you think

If you enjoyed these series, you can leave me a ❤️, you can restack if you have the Substack app, you can share this with others who might enjoy it or you can leave me a comment, telling me what you enjoyed most about the series.

A final visit to our map of The Drifting Expanse

Where is To’Boam? Have a look at the map below and update your own version of the free map. These are all the places that appeared in this series, based on my hand crafted maps

To’Boam ©Deb.Aura.Art 2023

By sharing this letter and by referring friends you can accumulate special benefits which contribute towards complementary paid subscriptions.

---

What can I do now?

I have a 10% off offer valid until the end of 2023 which applies to both monthly and annual subscriptions.

Read the other stories in this series

Head to the Index Page for all stories in this series so far. They are all free to read but will go behind a paywall after a certain amount of time. If you’d like to read them at your leisure or catch up ion the whole story as an eBook, then consider upgrading your subscription.

Read the stories behind the story

Want to find out more about the history of The Drifting Expanse and all it’s places? About Kriliah’s and Jalisse’s skills and powers, and the members of the Company? Visit the world building index available to paid subscribers. Delve deeper into the stories behind the story, with a paid subscription.

Find out what I’m up away from Substack - Visit Mappery Moodles

Read my other map related writing